Malt, caramel, and dried longan in a cup that stays composed from the first steep to the last. Ancient Heights is a Yunnan black tea from old trees at 2,000 meters in Yunxian, where cold nights slow the leaves down and pack sweetness into every bud. Gushu Hong Cha (古树红茶) means "old-tree black tea," and this April 2025 lot drinks like that — layered and warm without a trace of bitterness. What You'll Taste Think warm caramel over toasted grain, with dried longan and a cocoa undertone that builds across steeps. The liquor pours copper-gold with a malty scent, and first rounds land full and honeyed before leaning into cedar and quiet spice. Two thousand meters and old roots — the cocoa undertone in the last steep is as steady as the first. Where It Grows Yunxian sits on a ridge system in Lincang, Yunnan, where scattered forestry plots sit among mixed woodland at 2,000 meters. Cold nights at that elevation slow growth and build the sugars that become caramel and malt after oxidation. The gardens cover about 15 hectares, tended without synthetic inputs under producer Cha Wei Hua. How It's Made The cultivar is Mengku Daye, a large-leaf tea plant common in Yunnan that carries more body and a honeyed line when fully oxidized. After hand-picking in April, the leaves withered gently to relax moisture, then rolled to start an even oxidation. A low-temperature bake set the aroma without pushing too dark, so you taste grain and fruit, not roast. Brew it short and watch how the flavor shifts from malt to cedar across rounds. The 25 g bag covers about five sessions. If you want to compare, our black tea collection puts it alongside bolder and lighter options. Brewing Brew 5 grams in 100 ml of 90°C water for 30 seconds. That is roughly a heaped tablespoon. Add a few seconds per round as the leaves open, and expect six to eight steeps from each session before the cup thins out. FAQ What does gushu hong cha mean? Gushu hong cha (古树红茶) translates to "old-tree black tea." Gushu means the leaves come from trees old enough to have deep root systems that pull more minerals from the soil. Hong cha is the Chinese term for black tea, named after the red color of the liquor rather than the leaf. How is Ancient Heights different from Wild Origin? Ancient Heights comes from managed forestry plots with malt-caramel depth. Wild Origin comes from unmanaged trees at 2,100 m with a more floral, resinous profile. Choose Ancient Heights for warmth and grain, or Wild Origin for perfume and lift. Does altitude change how black tea tastes? Cooler nights at 2,000 meters slow growth and concentrate sugars and aroma precursors in the leaves. After oxidation those compounds become longer sweetness, cleaner structure, and a finish that lingers rather than fading. The effect is most noticeable above 1,500 meters. I'm new to Yunnan tea. Will I like this? Probably. The cup is naturally sweet with no bitterness, and the old-tree leaves are forgiving if you steep a few seconds too long. Brew at 90°C for 30 seconds and adjust from there.
